To write a strong summary, you have to understand the main ideas of the chapter. My advice is not to sit down and start writing. Instead, follow these guidelines.
Skim the selection to get the overall meaning of what is happening in the chapter.
If you have time, reread the chapter carefully looking for keywords and phrases. Highlight, underline, and annotate these important ideas.
On a scratch piece of paper (or better yet, in your notes), list the main ideas. Try to do this just from your head--without looking back at the pages of the chapter. Chances are, you will remember the most important stuff that you read. This list will now be your writing guide.
You might go back to the text in order to verify and confirm some of the selections on your list. Also, make sure that any annotations you made are included on the list. Also, look for passages you plan to use and earmark those pages.
Now it is time to write the summary. Use your own words, but also pull some passages from the chapter in order to help you make your point more clearly. Use those passages that do a better job of telling that part of the story than you can. If it helps, use passages that we have discussed in class; they are usually pretty important.
Your opening (or topic) sentence should be a clear statement of your main idea
Stick to the most important information. Try not to get hung up in unimportant details, and yet, write specifically about those main ideas.
Try to put every important point into clear, declarative sentences.
Do not write in all one paragraph; that looks like you just spilled your thoughts out onto the paper. Instead, use your main ideas to help you create paragraphs, each paragraph for a main idea.
Use a concluding sentence to tie it all together.
Check and revise your summary
Have I included all of my main ideas?
Have I reduced the details to a manageable amount of information?
Will another reader understand the chapter better for having read my summary?
It is always a good idea to have another person read your writing. If they are not available, try reading it to yourself aloud. You would be surprised at how much the ear picks up that the eye misses.
Writing the Summary
To write a strong summary, you have to understand the main ideas of the chapter. My advice is not to sit down and start writing. Instead, follow these guidelines.
It is always a good idea to have another person read your writing. If they are not available, try reading it to yourself aloud. You would be surprised at how much the ear picks up that the eye misses.